Verd Heberstein

An infamous composer who wrote some of the most highly regarded music of the second age, but also used it to murder a noble family of Trem.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Verd was born around the 900th year of The Alliance, in a small village near the city of Trem. He probably would have lived his life as a potter, following the family trade, were his parents not run over by a speeding carriage. Verd was thrown out of the way by his mother and while he didn't see the occupant of the coach he did get a glimpse of the crest on the carriage door as it raced past. Following the tragic accident Verd was taken in by Magdalene and Fredrick Heberstein who lived in the same village.
Magdalene had been a singer in Trem before meeting Fredrick and she used song and little rhymes to teach the village children and remind them of how to do their chores. Her songs were known to be able to soothe the unquiet heart and she used every trick to help Verd deal with his grief. Exposed to a near constant stream of music Verd grew fascinated it, and Magdalene was happy to teach him. It was clear to anyone who heard him play and sing that Verd was too great a talent for the village so Magdalene called in a few favours from friends in Trem to get Verd hired by a reasonably respectable tavern.
Verd proved a good investment for the tavern as he produced new songs on a near daily basis, and he also seemed able to judge the right one to play at any time to help reinforce or subdue the mood. While the ability to influence emotions was not unusual amongst the more talented bards, Verd had a subtle touch that allowed him to single out a single listener and affect them in a different way to everyone else in the room. Several other tavernkeepers approached Verd with offers to lure him away, but he stayed loyal to his first employer for a couple of years. It wasn't until the popular composer, Dimitar Pollireel approached Verd with an offer of education rather than employment that Verd could be lured away.
Dimitar was a master of creating complex harmonies with multiple instruments, with his creations performed by large groups of players or singers to entertain the rich and powerful. Recognising Verd"s natural talent, Dimitar taught him how to write music and the technical detail of why the music Verd created by ear sounded right. This opened up a new world of possibilities for Verd and in exchange for the lessons Verd helped Dimitar to create ever more impressive performances. The two found their skills complemented each other quite well, with Verd constantly creating new and exciting music, and Dimitar providing the discipline and experience to add the final polish that turned the music into a true masterpiece. Their fame spread well beyond Trem and their work was in demand by the temples and nobility across The Alliance. While many of their works were lost during the years of darkness, including nearly all of the religious choral works, a few pieces survived thanks to elven musicians.
The pair's partnership lasted for nearly a decade until Dimitar was approached by the Revuli family who wished to offer a patronage. Verd wasn't in favour of this, as he had recognised the Revuli family crest from his youth. Rather than deny his mentor the benefits of a patronage, Verd decided to part ways with Dimitar, though they remained friends.
Now working alone, Verd began focusing on music for formal dances. His time with Dimitar had earned him enough of a reputation to attract his own group of musicians, and he was rarely short of requests for his performances. Verd"s reputation grew quickly thanks to a combination of his own original compositions, and his ability to heighten the emotions of his audience when he played. It wasn't long before anyone of import wouldn't dream of holding a ball without checking if Verd and his players were available. In what many interpreted as a gesture of respect for his mentor, Verd always turned down commissions from the Revulis or those close to them.
Verd had his pick of players but his choices frequently left many baffled. It was not uncommon for him to turn down talented musicians in favour of those who seemed mere beginners, and he was forced to spend long hours bringing them up to the required level. What none realised at the time was that Verd was slowly building a group filled with people who hated the Revulis as much as he did.
When Dimitar retired the Revulis renewed their offers to Verd, and he finally began performing at their events. While never formally agreeing to work exclusively for them, Verd was offered so many well paying opportunities by the Revulis and their friends that it wa generally acknowledged that he and his players would not be available to others.
Verd’s final performance was at a grand ball held by the Revuli family to celebrate the birthday of the head of the family. The ball was to be the grandest of the season, and the Revulis had commissioned a new suite of dances from Verd, along with agreeing to employ a full orchestra of Verd’s chosen musicians. The night started as great success, as the promise of new music from Verd meant nearly every friend of Revulis accepted their invitation. The music did not diappoint, and for a couple of hours everything seemed normal. Then those at the party began to notice that the dance floor was getting crowded as everyone was up and dancing, even those who would normally refuse to do more than the minimum required by etiquette. It started to occur to many that the dance was going for a long time, but the dancers couldn't seem to stop. At a signal from Verd the players picked up the pace and the dancers found themselves dragged into faster movements. Several older people collapsed early on, with the dance continuing around and sometimes over them. The players continued to increase the tempo and seemed to be suffering themselves. The dancers found themselves making faster and wilder motions, with their muscles tearing and bones breaking under the strain but still they danced on. Several of the players also collapsed under the strain of playing the wild melody.
Only two people remained unaffected. Verd and a deaf page who could only watch in horror as his master and guests danced themselves to death. Once the last dancer fell, Verd gestured to his few remaining players to stop and they slowly slumped to the ground. After looking around with a satisfied expression, Verd gave the page a wave, gathered up the copies of his music and left the ballroom. Following the page's description of events the authorities launched a hunt for Verd but he was never found.

Species

Human

Gender

Male

Eyes

Dark Brown

Hair

Short, Dark Brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Lightly Tanned

Height

5'8"

Weight

160lbs

There are no known copies of Verd"s final composition, which many consider to be a good thing. Despite millenia having passed, stories occasionally emerge about copies of the score being found, prompting a rush of activity from treasure seekers that ultimately ends with disappointment. Several foolish mages have also attempted to peer back in time to witness the infamous dance and have ended up falling victim to it themselves.